Stocking and method of making the same



R. W. SCOTT.

STOCKING AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 7, I915.

n H 9H5 QAMTM Amfi HH H W La HE WM? h n n fixwud Patented Jan. 6

A n I JQQ 9L n are new ROBERT W. SCOTT, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS,ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

TO SCOTT 8; \IVILLIAMS, INCORPORATED, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

STOCKING AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME.

mamas.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 7, 1916. Serial No. 108,069.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, ROBERT W. Soon, a citizenof the United States, and resident of Boston, in the county of Sufi'olkand State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements inStockings and Methods of Making the Same. of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to the manufacture of stockings. I shall describeas one instance thereof a stocking and the method of making saidstocking as a seamless tubular article having ordinary seamless toe andheel pockets, and having the leg portion knit with double the number ofwales contained in the foot portion, the Whole fabric being comosed ofnon-rib stitches; that is to say, all of the stitches being drawn to thesame face of the fabric. My invention relates to an improved procedurefor making such an article, so as to form on a series of needles animproved structure at the toe portion of the stocking in aid of theoperation of looping the toe seam, a leg of multiple course fabric 2 ofthe accordion type and an inturned welt at the top of the same fabric asthe leg.

I have explained in my copending application Serial No. 94,232, [LettersPatent No. 1,194,675, dated August 15. 1916] the manufacture of such astocking, my present invention relating to improvements upon the methodand article of my said application, whereby I have provided loopersrounds preceding the position of the toe seam char acterizedby a selvageadapted to be easily raveled, and provided the article with anend-finish constituting an inturned welt of an improved structure, aswell as provided an article and method adapted for advantageous makingand practice by machines.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of the articlecompleted except for the closure of the toe seam;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged diagram section longitudinally of the stockingthrough the welt;

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are comparative diagrams showing needles and the inneror back side of the fabric at the needles respectively at the beginningof thestocking, at the foot portion and at the end of the operation;

Fig. 6 is a diagram plan of a circle of needles illustrating oneinstance of an instrument upon which the manufacture can be carried out;

Fig. 7 1s a view similar to Fig. 6 showing the needles active andinactive at the toe,

foot, and heel;

Fig. 8 is a similar view illustratin the production ofdouble-conrse'accordion fa ric Fig. 9 is a similar view illustrating theoperation of taking bights for the welt; and Fig. '10 is a diagramillustrating the for mation of the Welt.

Referring now to Fig. 1, knitting is begun at the selvage S formedon thebare instruments .such as a closed row or series of needles, illustratedas a circle of needles n in Figs. 6 to 9. The initial yarn. 1, Fig. 3,

,may be taken by or supplied torecurrent needles n, the yarn passingbehind intervening needles n until all of the needles 7:. are sosupplied, and a second course 2 is then supplied to all of the needles,and the first course cast off, thereby forming a selvage; and one ormore courses 3 may then be knit upon all of the needles (Figs. 3 and 6).The selvage structure is thus formed upon all of the needles. It isdesirable that the selvage shall be formed so as to bejreadily raveledfrom the following waste-fabric or loopers rounds f, which for ease oflooping and economy of wasted yarn should be of a number of needleswales less than the number of needles in the machine. The fabric f is inaid of looping the toe seam by sewing together the places indicated bythe dotted lines 8. Such sewing takes place upon aselvage will not onlyhave enabled the fabric- 7 to be started upon the bare needles, but thestructure comprising the courses 1, 2, 3, in which the course 3 "hascast-off loops 0; formed at and cast ofi from the needles n,

whatever the instrument of manufacture,

will then constitute an edgeeasily raveled,-

for instance by pulling on the yarn'l or the yarn 2, wherebyto releasethe loops a from.

Patented Jan. c, 19220.

i the loops of.the yarn 2\engaged by them,

' needles n; The remainder of the fabric f skilled .knitters.

' ing'their previous loops of the yarn from.

will also rav'el freely, as will be apparent to .The toe, foot, and heelare knit upon the needles at only, preferably as indicated in Fig. 7,the needles from which the loops were castoff subsequent to the selvageremaining idle and out of,action. At this. stage the knitting ispreferably single-course knitting, as will resultfrom forming a knittingwave in the needles at and taking yarn from a single main yarn feed y.(See Fig. 7) The heel pocket 72. and toe pocket t may be knit upon asegment of the needles n only, as usual, by reciprocal operations withthe yarn or any substituted or additional yarn fed from the yarn feed yto the needles n aving completed the foot F and the heel h and a fewcourses 0 above the heel by the usual operations 0'11- needles n only,the character of' the fabric is"-cha-nged by restoring the inactiveneedles n to action, sov

that all the needles will take thread and knit at the main yarn feed 3while at a supplemental yarn feed as the needles are so manipulated thatthe needles n only take the yarn and knit, the intervening needlespassing below the yarn receiving level, the arrangement of yarn feedsand active and inactive needles being that indicated in Fig. 8. Thisarrangement results in the production of. a fabric commonly known asaccoifdion fabric, an instance of-which is shown in Fig. 10.

This fabric is produced to a sufficient extent to form the leg L of thestocking.

I have referred in my said application Serial No. 94,232, to alternativeprocedures for forming a welt after knitting such a leg, and I will nowdescribe a preferred species of operation producing an improvedstructure in which the fabric of an in-turned welt W consists ofaccordion fabric like the 'eferri-ng now to Figs. 9 and-10, havingcompleted the leg L to the course 2, preferably a course of the mainyarn fed from main yarn feed 3 1" form in the course a bights wpreferably by rendering the needles n inactive in a lowposition whilewithholdmain yarn feed y; The bights wmay be taken by transferimplements T, for instance ac'-' cording to the method disclosed in my00- pending application Serial No.49,161, [Letters Patent No. 1,189,744,dated July 4,

1916,]filed September 7, 1915. This operation. may take place upon amachine knitting both at the yarn feed g and the yarn feed m therespective yarns forming the accordio-n fabric. Having taken the big/htsw the implements Tare manipulated to retain The bights 'w taken on theinstruments T which they were removed, thereby fastening 'downthe welt wupon the knitting of subsequent fabric. In order to prevent freeraveling of the subsequent fabric and release" of the welt, I prefer atthis point .to cease operations at the yarn feed 00 inor- -der to'formplain fabric from yarn supplied at main feed 2 only for a few curlingcourses followingv the interknitting of the united course .2 w1th thesubsequently formed welt fabric, as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 5 and 6.The accordion fabric does not display any marked tendency to curl towardthe face side thereof, but plain fabric as illustrated at C ifl Fig. 5,when freed from the needles, curls toward its face side or in thedirection away from the observer in Fig. \5. Fig. 5 shows the junctureof the'welt' W with-the leg. L, viewed from the back or inside of thefabric. When a sufiicient extent of the fabric C has been formed thewidth as the leg lies in thus providing a welt having a retractilequality uniform with that of the leg, such stockings when finishedhaving no tendency to flare outwardly at the welt. Y I

' rade requirements for stockings of the kind most suitable for makingof the 'described fabric are not wholly satisfied by in turned orout-turned weltstructures of plain fabric because of the difficultyfound in finishing the plain fabric welt in a state contracted laterallyto conform to the width of'the finished leg.

By the described method of knitting, a satisfactory suture at the coursezis formed without changing to a heavier yarn, the yarn fed at the mainfeed y. as the heavier elei ment of the accordion fabric being utilizedfor the uniting or suture course. By the described'method I have alsoprovided for withholding loops, holding needles out of action andcasting off during the making of the article upon the same interveningneedles of only [except at the end of the operation when casting-off isaccomplished at all of the needles by ceasing to 'feed yarn] and havethereby adapted'the article to beprodu'ced' and the'method to bepractised upon amachine adapted to knit continuously upon needles nrecurrent between the intervening dion fabric at the top thereof.

2. A stocking knit from toe to top comprising a seamless toe, foot andheel of plain fabric, a tubular leg continuous with foot and heel ofmultiple-course accordion fabric having a greater number of Wales thanthe foot, and having an integral welt of multiple-course accordionfabric having as many wales as the leg at the top thereof.

3. A stocking knit from toe to top comprising a seamless toe, foot andheel of plain fabric, atubular leg continuous with foot and heel ofmultiple-course accordion fabric having a greater number of wales thanthe foot, and having an integral welt of multiple-course accordionfabric at the top tfhgreof, followed by curling courses of plain a no.

4. A stocking knit from toe to top com prising a seamless toe, foot andheel of plain fabric, a tubular leg continuous with foot and heel ofmultiple-course accordion fabric having a greater number of wales thanthe foot, and having an integral welt of multiple-course accordionfabric at the top thereof, followed by curling courses of plain fabrichaving as many wales aswelt and leg.

5. A stocking having a leg knit of a plurality of yarns as accordionfabric comprising wales of a single component yarn only interveningbetween wales in which successive courses are of different yarns, andhaving a welt comprising an extent of similar fabric continuous with thewales of the leg fabric at one end and united to the leg fabric at theother end by bights of the yarn of said single-yam wales engaged byloops of the welt fabric at said other end.

6. A stocking having a leg-knit of a plurality of. yarns as accordionfabric comprising wales of a single heavier component yarn onlyintervening between wales in which successive courses are alternately oflighter and heavier yarns, and havmg a'welt comprising an extent ofsimilar fabric continuous with the wales of the leg fabric at one end'and united to the leg fabric at the other end by bights of the heavieryarn engaged by loops in said wales of heavier yarn at the other end.

7. A stocking blank knit from toe to top comprising a raveling selvagehaving loops in wales terminating in a free loop followed by a seamlesstoe, foot and heel of plain fabric, and a tubular leg continuous withfoot and heel of multiple-course fabric having a greater number of walesthan the foot.

8. A stocking blank knit from toe to top comprising a raveling selvagehaving loops in wales terminating in a free loop followed by ravehngsmgle-course loopers rounds and a seamless toe, foot and heel of plainheel of plain fabric, all having a less number of needle wales than theselvage continuous therewith, and a tubular leg continuous with foot andheel of multiple-course fabrichaving'as many wales as theselvage, thewales of the selvage in excess of the loopers rounds terminating incast-off loops, whereby the selvage is adapted to be raveled.

10. The art of knitting a seamless stocking on a series of needlescomprising first forming a selvage on all of the needles, knitting oneor more courses of fabric on-said needles, casting off the-loops atneedles intervening between recurrent needles, and

thereafter knitting loopers rounds, a toe pocket, a tubular foot, and aheel pocket on said recurrent needles, and thereafter knitting fabricfor the remainder of the stocking on all of the needles.

11. The art of knitting a seamless stocking on a series of needlescomprising first forming a selvage on all of the needles, knitting oneor more courses of fabric on said needles, casting off the loops atneedles intervening between recurrent needles, and thereafter knittingon said recurrent needles singlecourse loopers rounds, a toe pocket, atubular foot and heel pocket; and thereafter knitting a leg ofmultiple-course fabric on i all of the needles.

12. The art of knitting a seamless stocking on a series of needlescomprising first forming a selvage on all of the needles, knitting oneor more courses of fabric onsaid needles, casting off the loops exceptat recurrent needles, and thereafter knitting onsaid recurrent needlessingle-course loopers rounds, a toe pocket, a tubular foot and heelpocket, and thereafter knitting a leg and integral in-turned welt ofmultiple-course. accordion fabric on all of the needles.

13. The art of knitting 'a seamless stocking on a series of needlescomprising forming a leg of' multiple-course fabric on the needles,detaining bights from one of the multiple courses of said fabric,knitting a further extent ofmultiple-course fabric of the same kind asthe leg for a welt. transknitting curling courses ferring the detainedbights to needles,' and un'tingcourse so formed.

4:. The art of knitting a seamless -stocking on a series of needlescomprising forming a toe pocket, a tubular foot and heel pocket onneedles intervening between recurrent unused needles, and thereafterknitting a leg of multiple-course fabric on all of the needles,detaining. bights from one of the multiple courses of said fabric,knitting a further extent of multiple-course fabric of following theting single-course curling courses following 15 the same kind as the legfor a welt,= transferring the detained bights to needles, knittheuniting-course. so formed, and casting o the completed product. I

Signed by ine "at" Boston, Massachusetts;- this fifth day of July, 1916.

ROBERT W. SCOTT.

Witnesses:

Amen A. MAcGBEqoR, MINNIE BROWN.

